US-India "among the most consequential relationships," says deputy NSA Jon Finer

By Reena Bhardwaj
Washington [US], November 21 : US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer on Sunday (local time) highlighted India-US bilateral relations developing into a "global strategic partnership", based on shared democratic values and increasing convergence of interests on bilateral, regional and global issues.
Speaking at a lunch reception to celebrate the festive season at India House, Washington, he said, "2022 is a highly accomplished year and having an even bigger year to come is really emblematic of how this relationship has proceeded for decades now. We at the White House, the entire administration certainly President Biden see this as among the most consequential relationships with the United States anywhere in the world, but also almost uniquely one of the relationships that still retains some of the greatest potentials to continue to evolve and strengthen and improve. We are deeply committed to doing just that."
Finer further said that 2022 was a huge year in US-India relations and have an even bigger year in 2023.
"We have the Quad Summit, we have India's G20 presidency that we are looking forward to including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have 2+2 Quad ministerial taking place, we will be relaunching the CEO dialogue, we will be launching a critical and emerging technology dialogue early in 2023," said Finer.
He said that the India-US is one of the relationships that still retains some of the greatest potentials to continue to evolve, strengthen and improve over time, adding that the US is deeply committed to doing just that.
"Looking around the world, when US and Biden look for partners that can truly help move forward a global agenda, India and PM Modi is very high on that list. We are really excited about what is to come in this relationship, and we are committed to moving it forward," said the Deputy NSA.
US President Joe Biden and PM Modi have held two in-person bilateral meetings during which they reaffirmed their commitment to a resilient, rules-based international order that safeguards sovereignty and territorial integrity, upholds democratic values, and promotes peace and prosperity for all.
"It (India-US relations) is a two-way street and this is a very symbiotic relationship..." As PM Modi said, "Much of the India that we dream of, lies ahead of us". It is only a journey we've started, we look towards our friends like the US to join us in our journey ahead," said Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India's Ambassador to the US.
Both leaders have also participated in multiple engagements of the Quad Leaders mechanism with Japan and Australia.
The United States supports India's emergence as a leading global power and a vital partner in efforts to safeguard the Indo-Pacific as a region of peace, stability, and growing prosperity. The strong people-to-people ties between our countries, reflected in the four million-strong Indian American diaspora and vibrant educational exchange between the two countries, are a tremendous source of strength for the strategic partnership.
The 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the US Secretaries of State and Defence and their Indian counterparts is the premier recurring dialogue mechanism between the United States and India. The United States hosted the fourth 2+2 Dialogue in April 2022. In addition to the 2+2 Dialogue, the United States and India cooperated in dozens of bilateral dialogues and working groups, which span all aspects of human endeavour, from space and health cooperation to energy and high technology trade.
"It's easy to see why that is the case. At a time that can be extremely difficult to forge a bipartisan consensus in Washington on anything, there is a strong bipartisan consensus in support of the US-India relationship and has been for decades and a high degree of continuity from one administration to the next. There is obviously an increasing alignment of our interests, both geopolitically and as two world-leading democracies," said Finer.
India and the United States cooperate closely with multilateral organizations, including the United Nations, G-20, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.
The United States welcomed India joining the UN Security Council in 2021 for a two-year term and supports a reformed UN Security Council that includes India as a permanent member.
India is an ASEAN dialogue partner, an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development partner, and an observer of the Organization of American States.
Together with Australia and Japan, the United States and India convene as the Quad to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific and provide tangible benefits to the region.
In June of 2022, the Quad countries concluded recruitment for the inaugural Quad Fellows, an opportunity for 100 students, 25 each from Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, to pursue a master's or doctoral studies in STEM in the United States.
India is also one of twelve countries partnering with the United States on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) to make our economies more connected, resilient, clean, and fair.
India is a member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), at which the United States is a dialogue partner. In 2021, the United States joined the International Solar Alliance headquartered in India, and in 2022 the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power became Co-chair of the Governing Council of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) where India is a permanent co-chair.